I'm Pasty & My Hair Is Brown

It's been a weird few months. I haven't been posting and I'm not sure exactly what I have been doing. I know that I've been cleaning houses and babysitting, volunteering a lot and, now that things have slowed down a bit for my friends in grad school, I've been able to hang out with them more. But I haven't been as driven when it comes to increasing my business or pursuing my personal goals.

I got so off-track and confused this week that I went out and bought tanning lotion and bleach. I wasn't feeling fulfilled and, as all of my research on happiness and what makes people the most satisfied in life empirically proves, becoming tan and blonde would solve all of my problems. I told my sister and a few friends about these purchases and their very honest, disappointed and confused reactions were enough to make me change my mind and focus on more important goals.

Ok, ok. The input of my family and friends was very influential but that's not how it actually happened. So, what really happened was that I looked up how to do highlights by yourself at home last night and... it seemed pretty hard. And after a tragic bleaching that I totally botched for Halloween last year, I was skeptical about the possible results. Then, today, I went to Sun Tan City where I had started a "Free Tour of the City" a few weeks ago (I was only in there for 8 minutes the first time) and I found out the offer had expired. So THEN I decided I should focus on more important things in my life. I returned the lotion and hair dye, got $15 back and treated myself to a fancy, $7 Chipotle dinner.

I'm not tan and I'm not blonde, so I had to figure out something else I could be...

"Be Happy, Be Healthy, Be Productive"

This has become a sort of personal mantra for me this year. It's especially useful for when I feel like there's so much to focus on, I don't know what the bigger picture is. I just remind myself of these three, simple goals, and I feel like I know where I'm at. So, today, after returning the dye and lotion, I took a piece of chalk and wrote this in big letters on my quote wall next to my bed. 

That should help keep things in perspective :)

THANKS FOR READING

PS- I should be posting a lot more this week, I miss blogging...

Back to Life in Raleigh

It's been a month since my last post and I'm trying to just get back into it. I really enjoy keeping this blog up and so happy when I hear that people are reading and enjoying it as well! It really does help me feel connected to all my friends and family around the country and it makes me be a little more productive and creative in my thoughts and hobbies so I have something to write about. All that to say, it's good to be back. Back on my blog and back to Raleigh. 

Warning: This post practically turned out to be a diary entry. You can leave if you want. 

I just spent the last 10 days visiting my Granny with my sister  aunt and mom in a hospital in DC where a procedure took two very scary turns but my Granny recovered quite quickly and fully considering how serious the situation got. We kept saying that although the events that brought us together were far from ideal, it was nice to get to spend time together over the weekend and on Mother's Day and was, overall, a rather pleasant time after she had fought back, like she always does. Love you Granny!

After that, my sister, mom and I headed back to Chicago with a quick stop at a Pittsburgh hotel and quilt shop my mom wanted to visit in the middle of the mountains. I spent time at home cleaning and organizing the kitchen pantry (maybe my favorite organizing projects to date!) seeing my friends and the fellas in their lives and shadowing a family friend that cleans houses and taught me the tricks of the trade. We topped off the week with a family dinner and a sleepover with my three little cousins where we watched Dumbo and ate popcorn (with ranch, as my 5 year old cousin requested...) My last night home, I went out with some friends to celebrate a recent engagement!

On Saturday, my mom drove me to Crown Point, Indiana where my beautiful and wonderful friend Lindsey picked me up and drove me to Anderson on her way out of Michigan. I got to spend two nights in my college town and rocked my Goodwill outfit for a friend's thrift shop party. It was good to see everyone and eat Deluxe Donuts again. Next time, I just have to eat at The Nile!!

Aaaand, now, here I am. Sitting on my back porch in Raleigh listening to the frogs and the remaining rain drops trickling off the trees from a storm that must have passed through right before we arrived. Good weather, a late sunset and listening to Anne of Green Gables on audio book made this one of the more pleasant drives I've had in a while. We also didn't hit any deer or spin off the road which certainly added to the pleasantness...

Pulling up to our house just as it was getting dark and with the sounds and thick air left after the rain, I realized what a beautiful and comfortable place this is. After spending a week in the Midwest, seeing our little townhouse surrounded by trees and thriving plant life so thick and green that it's starting to take over the view of the front door was an experience more emotional and nostalgic than I ever imagined it would be. Even the musty cottage smell of our house made Amanda and I feel like we were truly home and Lady, who would hardly eat or drink while we were away, was so comfortable, well fed and watered and cuddling on my bed only a few minutes after our arrival. It was a certainly a strong feeling of belonging. (This experience was slightly marred when we discovered a dead mouse. For all of the beautiful, thriving life in this part of the country, I must say that I could do without the mice, cockroaches, millipedes and mosquitoes!)

Returning to life here, even though it has only been 2 hours, has already reminded my of my priorities and goals. A few months ago, I started moving away from the nanny share I was running and began to work as a housekeeper and seamstress. With so much support and networking from some very dear and helpful friends here in Raleigh, it has gone pretty well so far. I have a couple regular clients and help on an ad-hoc basis with some clients I have met online or been introduced to. I still babysit in my home during the week and for date nights on weekends, but am trying to get as much experience and work I can get with cleaning and sewing. My fantasy at this point is to establish myself and learn enough to support myself on projects that I love which ranges from sewing to organizing to decorating an painting to gardening.

Being self-employed is exciting in many ways and full of stress and anxiety in many others. I am proud to be a 23 year old who is making my own way and developing my skills, business and otherwise, in a down economy when so many are looking for work or unsatisfied with what they do. However, I still have plenty of moments of doubt and fear about my abilities, ambitions and livelihood. I hope to gain more clients and develop a more established schedule and to be able to offer quality services at fair prices that still allow me to support myself. And, you know, pay off all those student loans.

My latest entrepreneur project that is months in the making and far behind (my own) deadline to to open my etsy shop. I have slowly but surely been working on more projects each week and am happy with the finished products but ever concerned about how things will be received, how to carry out transactions online and follow through in every step of the buyer/seller interaction and whether or not I can actually take the things I love to make and share and make a profit from them. I am constantly in a state of inspiration and motivation and - simultaneously- fear, dread, anxiety and virtual paralysis. 

So, as I said, returning to my current home after briefly visiting my two other beloved homes, has made me think some more about who I am, what I am doing and what I truly wish to do. There are still many goals that I set out to change at the beginning of the year that I have not come close to accomplishing while a few of my primary goals, I was happily surprised to realize, have come to pass without me even realizing it such as making good friends, getting involved in the community and causes I care about and working towards becoming financially secure and independent. I need to focus on what I have accomplished and my potential to keep on track and do so much more.

I'm back, I'm terrified and motivated and I'm going to keep on keeping on. Looking back at the beginning of this blog and seeing how far I have come in less than a year is so encouraging for where I will go in the coming months and beyond.

THANKS FOR READING

Tire & Conatiner Gardening

Since it's Earth Day and I'm not ready to launch my Etsy shop quite yet (I was excited to put all the recycled and upcycled products up for sale today but I guess it can wait) I thought I'd post about my tire and other container gardens!

Since we're renting and almost all the soil around our house is orange clay, we decided to do container gardens this summer. We also live in such a wooded area that very few spots get more than a couple hours of sun each day which makes the back porch one of the sunny spots!

The spaghetti squash below is one of my few seedlings started in a tray that seems to be thriving.

A cheap plastic tub and my sister's old rain boots make the perfect planters for swiss chard, spinach  carrots and beets. now I just have to figure out how to keep the squirrels from digging in there!

I bought these pots from a garage sale in Anderson, IN a few years ago and I have used them every summer since. This year, they have cilantro and basil and I'm waiting for my chives to sprout.

Swiss chard sprouts- I can't wait to start harvesting the never-ending chard!

And now, the tires...

I knew we needed more space than all the containers we had and as I was trying to figure out where we would plant everything around late winter (I still thought we'd put stiff in the ground) I drove past a neighbor's house with a stack of 3 tires in the lawn and a sign that said "free." 

After giving the neighborhood a few hours to jump on the tires if they wanted (to me, this was too good to be true so I thought I had to share!) I went back at night and fit all 2 huge tires in my little Honda Civic. Then, just a few weeks ago, when it was nice enough to start planting, my sister and I got to work on these bad boys!

With the rims on the tires, I realized most of the soil we would have to buy would go to waste considering the relatively small surface area we would have left. So, we decided to cut it off!

1 Old Jeep Tire....

 Plus A Whole Lotta Hand-Sawing...

...Equals 1 Old Tire With The Top Cut Off!

Below is the before and after shot of Tire #1 with mostly peas and lettuce an, as an experiment, an old garlic clove that started to sprout in our kitchen. Maybe we'll get a whole bulb!

And Tire #2 is below (before & after) with peppers, strawberries, onions, radishes, beets, carrots and spinach. There's a lot in there and it's just about time to thin those little guys! We'll see how many go to harvest in such a small space...

 I can't wait to see how all of these containers do in the long run. So far, everything has been growing better than I expected but I'm still anxious for our first real harvest...

HAPPY EARTH DAY AND THANKS FOR READING!

Forget Spring, Summer has Sprung!

My sister had told me that it goes straight from winter to summer around here, but I didn't believe it till I saw it with my own eyes! For proof of how quickly things come to life in North Carolina, here's a picture Kirsten took of the woods behind my house on April 2nd (Sorry for stealing your pic, Kirst!)

And this is what it looks like today, just 11 days later!

This is the view of the woods behind my house. Every now and then I forget how beautiful this area is and how amazing it is to have all of this nature in my backyard.

The one downside to all this beautiful nature and the boom of life is the pollen. If you don't live in NC, I'm not just talking about regular pollen. Around here, pollen is a thick, green dust that floats in the air and coats everything! My car, which is normally silver, was green the other day and the inside is covered in the stuff. I've already swept my porch and outdoor furniture and it's covered again almost instantly. I was driving through a wooded area yesterday and there's so much of this stuff that there was a visible "fog" of dust in the air. 

People around here don't even seem to notice it, its so normal. But coming from the Midwest where pollen is an invisible, almost mythical, occurrence and you have to check the pollen count online to know how bad it is, this is all pretty crazy to me! And it means lots of happy bumble bees around the house and lots and lots of sneezing! I swear, if this keeps up, my allergies will be the death of me!

I guess sneezing is a small price to pay for all the beautiful foliage, but my face doesn't seem to understand the trade-off....

I'll post soon about my container gardens which are coming to life as quickly as the woods around me. 

So excited!

ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL WEATHER AND THANKS FOR READING

A Best Friend, A Broken Laptop and A Bruised Throat

It's been a crazy week despite (or, perhaps, evidenced by) my lack of blog posts.

Kirsten, one of the people I love most out of many people that I love a whole lot, flew in last Monday to stay with me for a few days before we drove to her cousin's wedding in western North Carolina.

The first few days of our trip, however, were anything but a vacation. I have been working harder and staying busier than I have since my first year or two of college. Every hour of my week is now taken up by babysitting, cleaning houses, posting blogs, volunteering, hanging out with my wonderful new friends, sewing/crafting, handling money and taxes, running errands and whatever other insane amount of tasks I add to my to-do list! 

Now, looking back on what my life was like and how I felt when I first moved to NC, this is all a very good change. My emotional, social and financial states are all far beyond where they were just a month or two ago and I am amazed at how well things are going! However, as Kirsten's arrival made clear, my weeks are packed so tight that I was forgetting to sleep (another flashback to college life). 

The night she flew in, I had already babysat for 6 hours in the morning and cleaned, went grocery shopping and prepared food for a client which took about 4 hours plus almost 2 hours of commuting. I was so exhausted and my back ached so badly by evening that I tried to take a nap but my mind was still racing with everything I had to do that I just sat awake in my bed for 2 hours. I eventually just got up and cleaning my car (one of the many things on my mind at the time). 

I picked Kirsten up around midnight and we stayed up for hours talking and reconnecting, which was completely worth it and felt sooo good... till I had to get up the next morning.

The first few days were a blur with babysitting, a volunteer meeting at which Kirsten had to call all the State Representatives on my list because of how bad I am on the phone, a fantastic dinner party followed by about 5 hours of packing with my wonderful friend Sanja before she flew home to South Africa in the morning, more babysitting, another dinner and - in general - a whole lotta not sleeping. 

On our third day, Kirsten helped me babysit while I was running around trying to pick up the house and finish some volunteer documents. At one point I had put my laptop down to let Lady in and as I reached down for the girl I was sitting to change her diaper, Lady jumped over a table and kicked my laptop screen with her back paw.

It instantly shattered. 

In case you don't know what it's like to be 23 in 2013, I'm going to take this moment to clarify something: we use our computers a lot. Like, for everything. 

Suffice it to say that it took a lot of willpower to hold it together in that moment.

A few minutes later, while my friend Irina was stopping by and I was trying to pacify a very sleepy and unhappy toddler, she whipped her tiny but surprisingly hard head at full speed into my throat. (The toddler, not Irina.) This was a new experience for me and it's probably foreign to you as well but, let me tell you, it hurts. With tears of exhaustion and exasperation in my eyes, I told Kirsten and Irina that I was at my end.

I realized that whether or not I would call it a sign, it was a sort of blessing-in-disguise that my laptop broke and that I almost broke down with it. I've heard athletes say that getting a sprained ankle or a knee injury was a sign that showed them they needed to slow down and take better care of themselves. I think that's what my laptop was for me. (Not to mention my very sore throat!)

So, rather than cramming in all the never-ending tasks I had secretly planned to do during the weekend (which Kirsten was not happy to hear I had even thought of doing), I went away with her to a beautiful part of the country and stayed at a gorgeous house with amazing people for a family gathering and wedding ceremony that I will never forget. We caught up on some sleep, hiked to a hidden waterfall, played games, had good conversation and generally had an incredible time.

So, thank you Kirsten, for a wonderful week. 

Thank you, Lady, for shattering my laptop. 

And thank you, little girl, for a bruised throat.

I guess I needed all of that.

Admittedly, I have already replaced my broken screen, gone grocery shopping twice, babysat, dropped Kirsten at the airport, purchased a domain name, worked on my website, created a favicon, put oil in my car, sent tons of emails, made tons of phone calls and wrote this post today buuutt I do plan on getting some good sleep tonight. Maybe I don't have to slow down as long as I let myself sleep enough...

Thoughts? What's your most productive way to get things done?

THANKS FOR READING

1,000 Views and Why I Love Short Hair

Last night, after a busy week of posting, this blog reached ONE THOUSAND VIEWS! I can't believe it and I'm so glad people are reading and (hopefully) enjoying my posts. Rather than making some gushy speech about how much I love and appreciate everyone (find that here), I made this. Enjoy!

10 Reasons I Love My Short Hair

#10- I Look Like The Biebs

I can't even look as sultry as him and I think he's only like 8 in this picture...

n

#9 - It's Ideal for Showing Off My Clip-On Earrings

How would I show these beauties off if I had all that hair in front of my ears?

#8 - I Would Make An Awesome Hoodie Model

Sorry, Kirtley. As soon as I saw this, I thought "that looks like my hair!"

Check out my friend's store, United State of Indiana, here.

#7- My Bed Head Is Better Than Yours

I've even gotten it from sitting in a chair...

m

#6 - I Compensate With Makeup When I Go Out

.

..which makes me look like Liza Minelli. Don't act like you're not jealous.

j

#5 - Combine #6 And #7 And You Get This

Good morning, beautiful.

j

#4 - It Makes Me Look Professional

Thanks, Salvatore!

d

#3 - This is What I Look Like With A Center Part

Yes, the mustache is real.

#2 - If I Were An Actress, I Would Seem Really Deep

Just like Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman and Emma Watson

x

#1 - I Did It Before It Was Cool

5 years ago. And it wasn't cool, at all. 

This is real. Feel free to laugh.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT AND THANKS FOR READING!

Dress Alterations: 1

Last week, I completed my first alteration job in a long while for my friend Christy and her daughter Avelyn. Christy's dress only needed to be slightly altered so I added a lace-up back and I will post photos from that dress soon.

This post is about Ava's dress that her Grandma made. It was well made but since they live in separate states and couldn't do any fittings, there were a few crucial alterations.

The most obvious difference is the middle- I had to detach the whole bottom half of the dress and add a sash for length which also meant removing the ruffle in the middle. 

For a little extra length and to make the sash look more intentional, I added about an inch and a half of the same pink fabric to the bottom as well. I think this touch made a big difference!

What the dress looked like before from all angles

The other changes that may not be as noticeable but were absolutely necessary for a better fit included widening the neck and arm holes and changing/adding closures on back. 

I was so happy when Aves tried the dress on the second time and immediately said, "This feels so much better!" about her arms and neck. Removing the existing stitches and (semi) invisibly re-sewing those parts was some of the most nerve-racking sewing I've done and I'm very glad it worked out.

This was an interesting job for two reasons. For one, I really enjoyed the amount of creative thinking and problem solving it took to do some of the changes and repairs. Amanda wants me to make it clear, however, that it was her idea to add the sash. Good job, Amanda. But that brings me to the second thing that made this job interesting... 

Another one of Amanda's ideas was to make a completely new top half. That was absolutely out of the question, not only because of how much work it would be, but because this was someone else's work. I had to respect what someone else had made and couldn't just tear it apart. Although the before and after do look quite different, I'm hoping the original seamstress was not upset by the work I did. I tried to find a way to stylishly and naturally refit the dress without making the alterations stand out.

Overall, I had a lot of fun working on this dress and couldn't have been happier when I had the whole thing finished and Ava was twirling back and forth in her new dress, obviously comfortable and happy.

The happy girl and little brother, Roald